Summary of this article
Fall detection watches alert emergency contacts upon detecting sudden falls.
Smart devices use sensors to trigger emergency responses.
"Always-on" setting ensures quicker assistance and vital health information sharing.
Falls are a leading cause of health concern among elderly citizens in India. A systematic review and meta-analysis that was published in The National Medical Journal of India estimated that around 31 per cent of elderly citizens in the country suffer from falls. The same research revealed that overall studies ranged from 14 per cent to 53 per cent for the pooled prevalence.
Falls are especially likely among individuals 80 years and older. Conditions such as diseases of bone and joints, vision impairments, and poor self-reported health add to the risk. Socioeconomic determinants like low income and restricted access to healthcare also contribute. Unsafe home conditions with slippery floors and poor lighting elevate risk, and a decline in function for doing everyday activities such as walking or bathing further increases susceptibility.
A study in the journal Geriatrics in the article Prevalence of Health Consequences of Falls among Older Adults Living in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis sheds light on the consequences. It identified that of older adults who fell, 65.63 per cent had suffered injuries from the fall. Of these, 37.95 per cent were cut, abraded, grazed, bruised or contused, 12.50 per cent sustained fractures, 14.31 per cent had dislocations or sprains, 10.79 per cent acquired disabilities, and 5.96 per cent lost consciousness. Further, 19.68 per cent needed hospital admission.
How Fall Detection Technology Works
Contemporary smartwatches based on Apple OS or Android OS operate using sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes that determine abrupt impacts and the lack of movement that may happen because of the fall. When a hard fall has been sensed, the watch sends an alert, and in case of no response within a specified duration, the device initiates its emergency procedure.
In Apple OS devices, if the watch possesses mobile connectivity on its own, it dials emergency services directly. If not, it uses the associated phone to do so. If both devices do not have mobile network coverage, some models use satellite SOS to send a text to emergency services. This message includes the watch wearer's location, and if a medical ID is configured in the health app in the phone, also sends information like medical conditions, medications and emergency contacts.
On Android OS devices, fall detection can be configured to call selected emergency contacts and send the user's location. Some models also transmit images from the phone cameras and brief audio samples to add context. Most Android OS watches require the connected phone to be on a mobile network for the alert to be transmitted, though some models with independent connectivity can call emergency services directly.
Activating Fall Detection on Devices
On Apple OS, fall detection can be configured on the paired phone within the watch app under the Emergency SOS menu. It can either be enabled only during workouts or always enabled. It is recommended that older adults turn on the always-enabled option. Configuring a medical ID in the health app ensures that emergency responders have pertinent health information.
On Android OS, fall detection settings tend to be found in the safety or emergency page of the watch's companion app on the connected phone. At least one emergency contact must be entered, and location sharing must be enabled. Some models are defaulted to only detect falls during exercise, so changing to always-on mode makes them safer.
Compatibility Between Watches And Phones
Apple OS smartwatches are only compatible with mobile phones with the same operating system, so features such as satellite messaging and medical ID sharing would function well.
Android OS smartwatches are compatible with a vast majority of Android OS phones. A few of them can even be paired with Apple OS phones, though fall detection and other safety features would be restricted in such pairings.
Other Safety Features For Seniors
Apple OS wearables have capabilities like car crash detection, sharing location by check-ins, and on-demand satellite updates. These may alert friends or family if the wearer fails to get to a designated point or reacts in time.
Android OS phones can employ manual SOS through a combination of button presses and frequent location updates during a specific time after SOS activation. There are route tracking capabilities for ease of navigation back to the initial position as well as LED flashlights for illumination during the nighttime.
Though no device can prevent all accidents, smartwatches with fall detection can improve the time to receive help and provide emergency contacts with important information. Where every second counts, these devices can act as a lifeline between a fall and timely medical care.
